Song: Ajab Si from the movie Om Shanti Om. Here's the lyrics translation:

http://www.bollynook.com/en/lyrics/6391/ajab-si/

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For the first time in a while, I felt peaceful. Life has been so stressful lately. Being vice president isn't easy at all. You've got so many things to plan, and it's really not fun at all. Top that with all the drama lately, and it's deadly. The Roman drama, the voting drama, and the accident. It's really stressful.

But, this little moment we have is so peaceful right now. It's like he takes all the stress out of me. I felt care free. I felt at ease. It was amazing. But peace doesn't last forever. The abrupt rumbling of my stomach completely disrupted it. "Come on, stomach. Don't ruin this moment," I think to myself. It's too late.

Ray heard it. "Are you hungry, Sophia?" he asks, and he lets me go. I turn around, but don't say anything. He smiles. "You don't have to be ashamed about it. I was going to take you out anyways. I need to treat my queen," he says. I smile. "I'm your queen?" I ask. He smiles.

"You're a queen. But most importantly, you're my queen and I need to treat you like one," he says. My face starts to go red. "Stop being so perfect," I say. He leans in closer to me. "I'll stop when you stop being so beautiful," he says smoothly.

I'm probably redder than a tomato at this moment. But I don't care. "Now, for that dinner? I don't want to keep my queen waiting," he says. "Let's go," I say. He takes my hand and leads the way.'

"So which restaurant are we going to?" I ask. He smiles. "Take a guess," he says. I think for two seconds, and, out of hope, ask, "Mona Lisa Cucina?" Ray smiles even bigger and says, "You're good at this guessing game." On the outside, I'm calm and collected.

But, on the inside, I'm doing a happy dance. Mona Lisa Cucina is easily my all time favorite restaurant. It's a cozy little Italian restaurant in Huntington Beach, not far from the town we live in. I know I'm part Italian, and I'm a waitress at Olive Garden.

But the food at Olive Garden is a sin compared to the food my mom and I cook and the food at Mona Lisa Cucina. My family took my nonna there one time, and she said it reminded her of Italy. It's so authentic, and it's also very cozy. It makes me feel like I'm back in Italy, eating true Italian food.

Ray really knows me well. And I mean that. "You're happy, aren't you, Sophia?" he asks, snapping me out of my mental impromptu dance routine. "That's an understatement. You know me so well," I say. He smiles. "Of course I do," he says as we pull into the parking lot of the restaurant. Ray parks, and he gets out of the car.

He opens my door, takes my hand, and helps me get out of the car. We walk up to the restaurant. Ray opens the door and holds it open for me. "After you, my lady," he says. I smile. "Such a gentleman," I say, and I walk into the restaurant. A waiter walks up to us. "Good evening. My name is Collin. How may I serve you today?" he asks.

"Table for two, please," Ray says. "Right this way," the waiter says, and he seats us and gives us menus. "I'll be back in a little bit," Collin says. I open my menu and I look through it. Eventually, after two minutes, Collin comes back.

"Have you two decided on what you would like?" he asks. "Have you decided, belle?" he asks. I nod. "Let's start off with drinks. What would you like?" the waiter asks, turning to me. "I'll have a Sprite," I say. The waiter turns to Ray. "What about you, sir?" he asks. "I'll have the same," he says.

"Excellent. Now, let's move on to food. What would you like?" Collin asks, turning to me. "I'll have the bruschetta," I say. Collin turns to Ray. "Sir?" he asks. "Make that two," he says. "Excellent. I'll be back with your appetizers and drinks," he says, and he walks away. "Ray, can I ask you something?" I ask. Ray nods.

"Of course, belle. I'm all ears," he says. "Did you ask your dad to help you with your outfit?" I ask. He raises an eyebrow at me. "I don't know. Did you ask your mom to help you with your dress?" he asks. I smile. "Touche," I say, and we both laugh. Soon after, Collin comes back with our drinks, and we idly sip on them.

"Ray, can I ask another question?" I say. He nods. "Did you forgive Victoria?" I ask. Ray starts to choke on his drink a little bit. "Well?" I ask. "I said I wasn't ready to fully forgive her and that I hoped we could start something a little bit new," he says. I sigh. "I want you to forgive Victoria," I say.

Ray looks at me like I have two heads. I, however, cannot be more serious at this moment. "Wait. Why?" he asks. "Because it's in the past. It's not really healthy to dwell on something that happened a while ago. Plus, we're all good now. Nothing has really happened lately. I think it's time we put everything behind us," I say as Collin comes with our appetizers.

"Thank you," Ray and I say in unison. "So what would you like as your main dish?" Collin asks, turning towards me. "I'll have the linguini alla vosole rosso," I say. "Great choice. What about you, sir?" Collin asks, turning to Ray. "I'll have the pollo marsala," he says. "Both excellent choices. I'll be back shortly with your main dishes," he says.

I grab a bruschetta and I start to eat it. "So what do you say? Will you forgive Victoria?" I ask. Ray sighs. "Fine. But only for you," he says. I smile. "You're the best," I say. He smiles. "Tell me something I don't know," he says. I sigh.

"Really?" I say. He laughs. "I'm just kidding. Thank you, belle," he says. After that, we just talk the night away. It was so casual and so easy, but at the same time, so romantic. Not to mention the food was amazing. It just felt so easy.

Most dates are awkward at points. Not this one. Ray made it easy to keep the conversation flowing. He also made it easy for me to feel cared for and flattered. Any man who can do that is a winner in my books. He just knew how to make me feel good and how to make me smile.

I really value that in a man. Seconds faded into minutes, and minutes faded into hours. It felt like nothing though. That's how casual and lighthearted this date was. We finished our main courses, and we both had dessert, which was bread pudding.

It's my absolute favorite at Mona Lisa Cucina. I recommended it to Ray, and he loved it. At the end of the meal, we were both full and happy. The waiter came with the bill, and I took out some money to pay for the bill. I tried to put it on the bill, but Ray grabbed my hand.

"Ray, what's wrong?" I ask. He smiles. "You don't have to pay. I got it covered," he says. I'm still defensive at this point. "I don't want to be so dependent, Ray. I want to help pay for the bill. I contributed to it too," I say. He shakes his head.

"A queen never has to pay. You're my queen, so you don't have to. Plus, you're worth every penny," he says. I start to blush furiously. Then, the waiter comes with the bill and takes it. Ray and I get our belongings and leave the restaurant. Once we're outside, I stop Ray. "I think I forgot something, Ray. I'll go check inside," I say.

He nods. "I'll wait here. Go ahead," he says. I go inside, and I find Collin. "Excuse me, Collin?" I ask. He turns around. "Ah. How may I help you?" he asks. I reach into my purse, and I pull out $15. "This is for you. Thank you for being awesome today," I say. He takes the money with a big smile on his face.

"It was a pleasure serving you. Thank you for your generosity. Come again!" he says. "I will. Thanks again," I say, and I leave the restaurant. "Okay, I'm back," I say. Ray is looking at me with a funny look on his face. "What's wrong?" I ask. He smiles. "You tipped him, right?" he asks. I don't answer. I've been caught red handed.

He laughs. "It's fine. It proves how generous you are. Really. I'm proud of you," he says. I smile. "Why are you proud of me? I did something that I wanted to do in the first place," I say. "Well, you were always so generous. Even after I paid for the meal, you still wanted to pay in some way. That's so sweet. Because a lot of girls are gold diggers. You want to be independent. I love that," he says as we walk towards the car.

"I mean, I could afford it. Really. I've been a waitress since I turned 16 and the tips are really good. I've got a lot saved up in my bank account. The majority of it is from working, but some of it is all the money that my uncles and my grandparents have given me. You didn't have to pay for it all," I say. Ray leans in closer to me.

"Oh but I did. Sophia, you're my queen. When you're my queen, then you don't have to worry about anything. Because if I say you're my queen, then you better know damn well that you're gonna be treated like one," he says. I smile. "You really want to spoil me, don't you?" I say.

"Of course. Now, how does a good movie and some cuddling sound at my place?" he asks. I nod. "That sounds perfect," I say. Ray opens the car door, and I sit inside. Ray then gets inside the car, and he drives home.

"So, I picked out a few movies that I knew you and I both would like," he says as he drives home. "What movies?" I ask. "So, I picked out Deadpool, Love and Friendship, or The Nice Guys. Which one?" he asks. We both look at each other, and we say, in unison, "Deadpool." We both smile. We know each other too well.

"Deadpool it is, then," he says. Soon after, we pull up into his house. "Wait, what about your parents?" I ask. "My mom is out with her friends and my dad is at a business dinner. His business dinners last a while. Randy is at Daniel's house. We're all alone," he says. "This should be good," I say. "This should be really good," he says. We eventually reach his house, and we enter.

Like he said, it's totally empty. Ray turns on a few lights so that we aren't sitting in pitch darkness. He goes up to the TV and puts in the CD for Deadpool. The TV screen turns on and the option screen for Deadpool shows up. I sit down on the couch, and Ray follows.

Eventually, the movie starts, and we just kick back and relax. I scoot in closer to Ray and rest my head against his chest. I fold up my legs and put them on the couch. Ray puts his arm around me, and we just cuddle. The soft beating of his heart against my head makes me almost melt into his embrace.

The movie went by faster than we expected. We laughed, we cuddled, we hugged each other. It was really fun, and it beat any movie experience in a theater. Just snuggling up with your special someone and watching a good movie is more than enough to make you feel all the happiness in the world and a little bit more.

The movie passes by in the blink of an eye. Eventually, many laughs later, the movie comes to an end. It kind of made me sad. Not the ending. The ending was hilarious. But I had to get out of this comfortable position with Ray. Seriously. I could just fall asleep.

"That was a good movie," he says. "Better than any theater ever," I say. I look over at the clock in the living room, and it reads 10:30. Ray looks over at the clock as well. "As much as I would like to have you for longer, I need to get you home before your dad comes over to my house and pumps me with lead," he says.

I laugh. "I agree. At 10:59, if I'm not home, I'm sure he'll start loading the gun," I say, and I get up. "Let's go," he says, and he grabs the keys to his car. We get into the car, and he drives me home. "Belle," he says. I look over. "Yes, Ray?" I ask. "This was the best Friday night ever," he says. I smile.

"This was the best first date ever. You made me the happiest woman on the face of the planet," I say. He raises an eyebrow at me. "So, you're down for a second?" he asks. I nod. "Any day," I say as Ray pulls up towards my house. He gets out of the car, and helps me get out of the car.

"Well, this is where I say good night. I'll see you very soon, belle. Sleep tight," he says. I smile. "Good night, Ray. Sweet dreams," I say. He smiles mischievously. "I'll have sweet dreams after I do this," he says, and he kisses me deeply.

Now I will too, Ray. Thanks. Eventually, he breaks the kiss, and we look into each other's eyes. "Good night, belle. I'll see you tomorrow," he says. "Wait, Ray. One more thing," I say. He nods. "What is it, belle?" he asks.

"I'm ready to make our relationship official," I say. There. I said it. Ray looks conflicted. "I pressured you, didn't I? Gosh, I didn't mean to, belle. I'm so-," he starts to say. I press my finger to his lips. "Don't you start. You didn't pressure me. I made the decision myself.," I say.

He smiles. "Then we'll do it. I'll finally call you my girlfriend freely, belle," he says. "Girlfriend. I like that," I say. He smiles. "I'll see you later, belle. Sleep tight," he says. I smile."You too, Ray. Good night," I say, and I walk into my house.

Of course, my dad, Anthony, and my mom are all on the couch, waiting for my arrival. "You're home! How was your date?" my mom asks expectantly. I close the door and lean on it, my eyes dreamy.

"Magical," I say. I walk upstairs, into my room, wipe off my makeup, change out of my clothes, and go to bed. Ray is like a wizard. He makes things magical. And he sure made this night magical for me.

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I am actually fangirling so hard right now. As an author, this is so satisfying for me to write. Writing this chapter was so much fun for me. Do you think that Ray made this date a little on the memorable side? Let me know in the comments.

Hello, my dears! How are you all? How's life? Mine is fine. Thank you guys so much for the birthday wishes. You guys are the sweetest! I had a great birthday. Thanks again for all of your wishes and your love. It means a lot.

Also, I thought I'd add some Indian songs in here. What did you guys think? Let me know.

That's pretty much it! Hope you guys liked this chapter!

Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work! See you all on Sunday with a new chapter of I Never Imagined! Have a great rest of the week!

Love you guys,

S.V.T.S